What happened to spring skiing?
I have to admit that spring skiing is not for me – I miss the short days and biting cold of the glaciers in November and December. That said (and not for the first time) I am widely ostracised when I air my views on Spring skiing. And if it weren’t for the dread that I feel each spring, imaging our mid winter climate in the Alps in the not too distant future then I would celebrate the great aspects of spring skiing more – the firn snow skiing that I have to accept is next in the pecking order after powder, the days with mates on sunny mountain hut terraces and the stunning views across endless ranges.
But this year where did the spring skiing go in the Alps – it went from winter to summer skiing? Here in the Tirol I was skiing powder on the 1st April in Stuben and since then it has been close to 20c each day and perfect sunshine here in Innsbruck. The snow pack has assured that patches in the ski areas around Innsbruck are almost entirely absent whilst the glaciers will offer sensational skiing and snowboarding for very many weeks – just pack the sun block !
The Skigloo – check google earth to see it still standing in August – image © ineedsnow.com
One casualty of the warmer temperature has been the Skigloo – still standing and sure to be seen the next time a google commissioned satellite maps the area this summer but starting to take the brunt of the warmer conditions. Not sure if it will be ready to host another bash before the lifts at Axamer Lizum stop running next Sunday but if not, then it has been fun. Time out of the office digging, a back injury, hospital bills, some large entertainment expenses landing on a desk at HMRC and some fairly challenging mornings can all be ascribed to the Skigloo. Was it worth it? Yes!
Last weekend I had both – some great glacier skiing as well as some great spring skiing.
The weekend started at the Kaunertal glacier with some superb piste conditions. In the morning the pistes felt like it was in the middle of winter. Even in the afternoon they held up really well. I did some great off piste skiing as well. The next day we went for some ski touring fun up to the “Glockturm” a peak with an elevation of 3400 meters. You should definitely not have too many beers the night before, otherwise breathing is very difficult at this altitude.
The rest of the weekend I spend on great mogul runs in Axamer Lizum and Nordpark. I love the sensation of charging down the mogul runs with the spring snow flying to the side at each turn. Nordpark has closed for a week and Axamer Lizum will close next weekend. This is always a sad moment, but at least the glaciers are still offering great skiing conditions and also there is so much snow in the ski areas that I can just ski tour up there.
Yes I am pretty much out on a limb when it comes to spring skiing, almost everyone I know rates it as the best apart of the season. I have to say my favourite time of the year has to be very early Autumn when the glaciers are getting there real cover of snow since that previous winter and the air is getting colder. In terms of skiing then yes, spring is usually about as good as it gets and in the Tirol, the months of march and April tend to see the very best snow fall (even though the snow tends to remain fluffy and powdery less long in the warmer temperatures and stronger sun light). You also tend to get far fewer people on the slopes than over Christmas / New Year or February half term.
I do feel a sense of dread though every time I start to see the spring weather removing snow from ski car parks and hotel roofs. I appreciate spring is a welcome and natural phenomenon but what human kind is incontrovertibly doing to the climate is not natural – I just fear the days that you cannot stand on 2500m peak in the Alps in January and feel the biting cold. And unfortunately when I see spring melt I always associate with a gloomy future for winters. My one hope is that come the time that the glaciers in Europe are long gone then the ramifications for human kind in terms of issues far more important than snow sports will be unimaginable. My thought process is of course complicated but I do yearn for the biting cold, even with a glass of beer on a table of a sunny terrace.